Mercedes flattered by results - Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff

Mercedes flattered by results - Wolff

Ferrari have failed to make good on their pre-season promise.

Matthew Scott

Wednesday 8 May 2019 12:58

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Toto Wolff says four consecutive one-two finishes to start the 2019 season have flattered Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have locked out the top two steps on the podium at each race this year, setting a new record for a team's best start to a Formula 1 season.

No team has ever started a season with as many one-two finishes before, a fact made all the more remarkable given Mercedes began 2019 expecting to play second fiddle to Ferrari.

The Scuderia have been unable to follow up a dominant pre-season with strong results, but Wolff says the red cars' fair share of poor fortune has played a role.

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"The results seem to paint a relatively clear picture, but the truth is that they're too flattering," he said.

"The performance has fluctuated in the first four races. We had the fastest car in Australia and China, but we won in Bahrain thanks to our reliability when we were on the back foot in terms of speed.

"And while our race pace looked good in Azerbaijan, we were never able to build a truly comfortable gap to our rivals.

"So there is no complacency about our situation because we know that it's not truly representative of the balance of power this season so far."

With Ferrari having looked so strong at Montmelo during winter testing, Wolff once again expects a strong challenge from the Scuderia this week in the Spanish GP.

"Our next stop takes us to Barcelona, where our opponents were blisteringly quick in winter testing, so the Spanish Grand Prix will be anything but easy," he said.

"Despite the good start to the season we remain quite sceptical of our own performance and know that there are a number of areas where we can and must improve.

"We anticipate a tough and competitive weekend, first against our rivals and also between our drivers. Everything is still very much up for grabs this season and we will be keeping our foot firmly to the floor."